ps2fandomcom-20200213-history
HDTV
Some PS2 games have supported 16:9 (aka widescreen) and progressive scan (480p) since 2003. Wikipedia has a partial listing. Check the game's video options to be sure. Although some games have a hidden Progressive Scan option which can only be accessed by holding X''' and '''Triangle while the game is starting up Cables The PS2 also supports HDTVs with higher end cables, like S-video and Component cables, which off much better video quality than the standard composite cables. Be sure to check what inputs your TV can accept before rushing out to buy new cables. Composite Cables Composite cables have three RCA plugs. Red and white for audio. Yellow for video. All three color signals are mixed over the yellow plug, which loses a lot of signal quality. If at all possible use S-video or component cables instead. S-Video S-video isn't quite as good as component, but is still vastly better than composite. Progressive scan isn't supported over S-video cables, either. Be sure your TV has S-video inputs before purchasing an S-video cable. S-video cables have a single yellow S-video plug. It has internal connectors for two audio channels and all three video channels. Component Component cables have 5 RCA plugs. Red and white for audio, and Red, Green, and Blue for video. The most common problem is plugging into the wrong inputs. Either the Red video into the Red audio (and vice versa) , or the Green Video into the Blue input (and vice versa). On the other hand, a lot of HDTVs won't display PS1 games over component cables. PS2 games that use the PS1 video resolution of 240p won't be displayed either. A quick and dirty solution is to keep the original composite cables plugged into the TV, with the other end near the PS2. Then just swap cables when switching to a PS1 game. This will also blur some of the worst jagged edges and pixelation PS1 games are prone to on HDTVs. ("Pixels the size of chickens!") Changing the Component Video out Blind There are two standards for component Video, RGB and Y Pb Cr. If your PS2 is set the wrong way then your TV won't display over component cables. You can revert to the original composite cables for long enough to make the change, or use the following procedure to make the change blind. * Turn the PS2 on with no disk. * Wait 10-20 seconds. * Press Down on the D-pad once to go to System Configuration. * Press X''' to select System Configuration. * Press D-pad '''Down three times. * Press X''' to activate Component Video Out. * Press D-pad '''Right""" to toggle between RGB and YPbCr. * Press '''X to activate the new setting. It should take effect immediately. Cable Quality Cable quality matters with S-video and Component cables, although their superior design can compensate some for poor material and workmanship. Official Sony component cables are the most reliable, but you'll have to get Sony PS3 component cables as they are no longer manufactured for the PS2. The Sony PS3 component cable packaging states they are fully compatible with the PS2. Multi-system or universal cables can also have degraded video due to their many extra connections. Gold plated connectors will guarantee that the signal does not degrade over time due to corrosion. Widescreen When you change the aspect ratio of the game to widescreen, your TV does not automatically adjust. You've got to manually switch the TV to 16:9 (aka Full Screen). Don't forget to change back when you play a game in 4:3 mode. Some games, like Ratchet and Clank 2: Going Commando, have a widescreen mode takes the easy way out and just chops off a lot of the top and bottom of the video to make it fit the 16:9 aspect ratio. Be sure to check any game you suspect this of. I preferred how the game looked in 4:3 mode. I still set the TV to Full Screen. There's some distortion, but not enough to bother me. Progressive Scan Progressive scan is only possible over component cables. Progressive scan, or 480p, avoids interlacing and comb effects, and offers a much cleaner image for the HDTV to upscale to HD standards. Text and motion should be most improved by progressive scan. The main drawbacks to improved video quality via better cables and HDTV are jagged edges and graphical artifacts becoming much more apparent. PS2 games were designed for the brighter, more saturated look of cathode ray tube televisions, not the clearer, sharper but less rich LCD screens. Some tweaking of the TVs settings can help here. First, most if not all HDTVs store separate video settings for each input. So changing the brightness on the component input won't ruin the cable TV settings. TV Settings Adjusting the TV settings can make pixellation and jagged edges less noticeable. Adjustments can also make up for the differences between CRT and LCD televisions. This won't ruin your cable TV settings because HDTVs store the settings separately for each input. * Turn Sharpness down to 0 or 1. * Increase Color up a couple of points to increase color saturation. * Decrease Brightness a couple of points to help color saturation. * Decrease Contrast a couple of points, if necessary to reduce jaggies. Recommended changes if the games look washed out and/or jagged. * Reduce the Sharpness setting to 0 or 1. * Increase the Color setting a point or two for improved saturation. * Decrease the Brightness setting a bit to once again improve the saturation. * If jagged edges are still a problem, decrease the Contrast setting a point or two. A couple things, one is that PS2 games aren't harmonized to the HD level of detail. Not only do different games look different, but different sections of a single game can look different on the same TV settings. Some games will display different areas at different screen resolutions. So optimizing for one portion of the game may make a different area look worse. You can generally make menus look pretty good, but that's the only guarantee. My usual recommendation is to get the Sharpness right, then increase it by a single point to compensate for motion blur. I'd rather have the game look its best while it's being played. Contrast acts as a kind of secondary Sharpness, since it's working to a very fine level of detail. Decrease for less jaggedness, increase for more detail. With Brightness the lower the better, to avoid washing out the colors. This causes problems with some games, like Tomb Raider: Legend where I always end up almost maximizing the brightness underground in Kazakhistan. Increase the Color a bit to take advantage of the stronger, clearer video signal. This will help your LCD mimic a CRT result, which will also help reduce jagged edges. (This can also be done on your cable TV input. Most channels look better, but the ESPN studios, already bright and colorful, end up overdone. Everyone looks almost orange.) Some games can end up looking awesome. Others, like, Resident Evil Code: Veronica X and Shadowman 2: 2econd Coming can at least be made playable, even if they still look dim, washed-out and misty. Worst case, draw the curtains and turn down the lighting in the room. There's a reason theaters show movies in the dark.